Romancing in Two Places

Last night I dreamed that I was close to James Collins. Not just close as if I passed him in the hallway, but we were physically close. I even got to look into his eyes and press my forehead against his. Is this love? Or is this what it feels like to be in love with someone?

I shivered as I lay in bed, thinking over the dream. If only it were real. Dee dee dee. My phone chirped. I sat up, yawning, and pushed my way out from under the covers. I raised the blinds. Midmorning sunshine flooded my bedroom as I leaned down and swiped my cell phone off the armoire. A notification box popped up on the screen. I had one text. I thumbed through the various screens and then pulled it up.

Lainie, want to go to the movies with me?

I slammed the phone down and dashed out of the room. In a daze, I brushed my teeth and took a shower. Not until I’d gotten out, dried off, and gotten dressed did I return to the phone to read it again. Thirty-seven minutes had passed since he’d texted me. Did he expect an instant reply? I stared at the name at the top of the screen until I was sure I’d burn a hole in the pixel screen. James Collins. What did this mean? Was my dream merely a déjà vu moment? Or maybe it was telling me ahead of time what I could expect?

I started to type out a response, and then I stopped. What could he mean, asking me to go to the movies? Since March, all the movie theaters had closed their doors due to Covid-19. James was smart. He wouldn’t be out of touch with the world. So what is he up to? I decided to play along, hoping he’d share.

Hi James. Sure. A movie sounds great.

I clicked Send with my thumbnail. Now I wait.

By three o’clock that afternoon, I wasn’t sure what to think. Had he forgotten he’d sent it to me? Had he somehow gotten tied up?

“Honey?” I looked up from the story I was writing on my laptop. My Mom smiled at me and gently patted my hand. “What’s wrong, Lainie?”

“It’s nothing.” I shook my head and resumed typing. I looked sideways at the cell phone on the table. It had been silent for hours, refusing to make a sound.

“Sweetie, I know you well enough. Something is going on. You can tell me.” She sat in a chair next to me. I looked up and met her tender gaze.

“Okay, but it’s really not a big deal. James contacted me this morning.”

“Oh?”

I definitely had her attention now. Grimacing, I continued. “Yeah. I responded, but I haven’t heard back from him all day.”

“Why don’t you contact Jordan?”

I hadn’t thought about reaching out to his twin. They spent a great deal of time together, always seeming to know what the other was up to.

“Okay, sure Mom. That’s a good idea.”

“Of course. You let me know how it goes.” She gave me a hug and a kiss before moving away.

I grabbed my phone and scrolled through my contact page before I located Jordan’s number and reached out to him.

Hey Jordan. Have you seen James today?

There. Hopefully, I’d get somewhere now. Within twenty minutes, I had an answer.

Hi Lainie. Yeah. We’re working with our Dad, on the old car.

I knew immediately what he meant. The old car was a ’56 mustang convertible that their father had bought a year ago. They’d been working on restoring it with him. It was going to be beautiful, with black leather, silver chrome, and a robin’s egg blue exterior paint job. Normally, I’d be over there in a heartbeat. I loved working on it with them. Not that I knew what I was doing, but it was fun to spend time with James. And I liked watching the car transform. Drat. I hated this quarantine.

Wow. That sounds amazing. How’s it looking today?

While I waited for an answer, it occurred to me that it was a lot easier talking to Jordan than it was James. Why that was, I had no clue, but it struck me as kind of annoying. Here I was talking to Jordan and not James. If I liked Jordan better, things would have been so much easier.

The next text was simply a picture. I whistled as I stared at the chrome they had fitted on the doors and the windshield. Man, I would have loved to be there. Okay, maybe I did have a thing for cars and not just the men who rebuilt them.  

So what to do? I didn’t want to sound like a nag. Only what choice did I have? You could wait for a response, a small voice responded in my mind. I chewed my fingernails. Waiting! Not something I like to do. Love is patient, another voice whispered. Now where did that come from? I don’t know if I love anyone, but I certainly want to be with James. Is that love? Or is that something else? I reached for the phone again, typing a message to Jordan.

Can you ask James to check his messages?

Wincing, I clicked Send. Oh, I hope he doesn’t think I’m a pest! I saved my work, closed my laptop, and took the stairs two at a time. I strode into my bedroom and closed the door, my phone clutched in my other hand. Dee dee dee. The phone chirped and I ripped open the text message.

Hi Lainie.

It was James!

Come over to our place. You can “socially distance” and watch us finish our work on the car. We were thinking of watching a movie outdoors afterwards. Sort of like a drive-in movie theater. You in?

Oh! So this is what he meant. YES! YES! YES! My hands shook as I replied.

Sure. Count me in. I’ll be there in ten minutes.

I was shrugging into my maroon suede leather jacket when my phone chirped again. I reached for it, hoping James wasn’t about to cancel on me. Jordan’s name ballooned onto the front of my screen as I tapped his text.

Lainie, we’ve missed you. It’ll be good to see you again.



My stomach dropped, but I refused to think about it. I grabbed my purse and keys as I left the house and climbed behind the wheel of my Volkswagen blue bug. Was it really “we?” Or was it just “me?”